Introductory German 11 Acquiring Information

It is expected that students will:

• process and adapt information from German-language resources to complete authentic tasks
• convey acquired information in formats that show growing independence in oral and written language

In applying a variety of strategies (e.g., predicting, connecting, guessing from clues), students will begin to increase their confidence in working in German.

• Ask students to review menus from German-language restaurants to identify the range of dishes, regional specialties, and prices. Conduct a class survey of food preferences and prepare a class chart or graphic display. Invite students to prepare their own menus for use in role-play scenarios.
• Invite each student to browse the Internet to examine a train, bus, or subway map or schedule; plan a journey; and then write a note giving travel details to a friend who is to meet the student at the destination.
• Suggest that each student read an entertainment page or flyer advertising cultural events in a German-speaking city (e.g., "Was ist los in Leipzig?") and decide which concert, play, or theatre production to attend. Have students exchange their information with partners and make arrangements to meet for the events.
• Have each student choose a short article from a German-language magazine or newspaper and present it orally to the class. As a follow-up, ask students to design fact quizzes for their classmates to complete.
• Show a video of a city where German is spoken. Ask students to note key information about the sites or attractions shown. Ask them to work with partners and, using the information from the video and a map of the city, to role-play dialogues that involve tourists seeking directions to various attractions.
• Invite a guest who speaks German as a second language to discuss his or her profession (e.g., banker, hotel manager, baker, auto mechanic) and the value of learning German.

Students in Introductory German 11 need extensive practice and feedback to develop basic information-acquisition skills. Integrated communicative tasks, in which students both acquire and communicate information, can involve a wide variety of materials and support. Co-operative activities are often appropriate.

• As students work with a variety of German information sources, look for evidence that they are increasingly able to:
  • ask appropriate questions to find the information or details they need
  • focus on key words, phrases, and ideas
  • make logical inferences based on the language they recognize
  • persevere to understand language that seems very difficult at first
  • replicate some of the patterns they encounter
• When students represent information they have acquired from German-language materials (e.g., menus, brochures, department- or grocery-store sales flyers, magazines), note the extent to which they are able to:
  • identify and recount key information such as articles and prices
  • include relevant and accurate details
  • reproduce some of the German words and patterns in understandable form
  • organize, categorize, and sequence their information appropriately
• When students use information from documents such as train schedules or entertainment pages to create plans, look for evidence that they:
  • can find the information they need
  • use appropriate vocabulary and structures to arrange meetings or give directions
• After students have worked with information (e.g., in simple articles, advertisements, menus, recipes, charts), they can then demonstrate their understanding by:
  • creating simple crossword puzzles for their classmates to solve
  • making posters or collages
  • basing role plays or dramatizations on what they learned
  • developing comic strips

Print Materials

• 501 German Verbs
• Active German
• Collins 10,000 German Words
• Collins Pocket German Dictionary
• Collins Pocket German Grammar
• Collins Pocket German Verb Tables
• The Concise Oxford-Duden German Dictionary
• Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland
• Du und Ich
• German Verbs and Vocabulary Bingo Games - Blackline Masters
• German Vocabulary
• In Play
• Klett's Modern German and English Dictionary, Second Edition
• Langenscheidt's Pocket German Dictionary
• Langenscheidt's Standard German Dictionary - Indexed
• Language Fundamentals: German
• Master the Basics: German
• Pack's An
• Schreib Mir Bitte
• Take Your Partners: German Pairwork Exercises

• Deutsch Aktuell (Levels 1-2)
• Deutsch Heute Neue 1, 2, 3 (Neue Ausgabe)
• Heute Hier, Morgen Dort - Lieder, Chansons und Rockmusik im Deutsch-Unterricht
• Kopfhörer auf! - Listening Pack
• Lernexpress

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